If you are a Spotify user, you must remember their insanely beautiful 2018 Wrapped where each year, this initiative will attract quite a buzz on social media. I personally loved the UI layouts and especially getting the data on which songs I listened the most during the past year. Imagine crossing 20+ millions of fans visited the campaign site on the first day alone. That’s beautiful! I decided to share the entire set of Spotify 2018 Wrapped as a color inspiration. It’s filled with sublime color combination for your next thing, enjoy!

With 2018 Wrapped, Spotify invited both artists and fans to explore and celebrate their year in music. Over 20 million fans visited the campaign site on the first day alone, to discover their stats, top artist, collect personalized playlists, and uncover more unexpected insights. And of course, they shared their musical snapshot, driving 2018 Wrapped to be Twitter’s top Global Trending Topic on launch day. Over 35 million fan visits. And every experience was unique.

How long ago did you start your design business or side gig? Three months? Three years? And how long has it been since you evaluated your business since then?

As a web designer, your job is to think critically and creatively for your clients, which is why you ask them probing questions like:

How old is your business? What’s its mission? Who’s your target audience? What’s the personality of your brand? Where do you see your business in five years?

The better you understand the business, the more easily you can design a website and shape a brand identity around it for them. But I’m willing to bet you haven’t spent much time doing the same for your own business.

I know the last thing you want to do is to take time away from revenue-generating work to evaluate your business and potentially rebrand it. However, what if a rebrand could bring you better work, better quality of clients, and better pay?

There’s a reason why you put so much care into designing a website that perfectly aligns with a company’s mission and personality. You should do the same for your own.

4 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Business

Lots of companies undergo rebrands. In some cases, it’s because they want to clean up a tarnished image as was the case in Uber’s rebrand. In other cases, they decide to strengthen their branding with visuals that are more uniquely their own, like MailChimp did.

For you? Well, it might be more practical and simple than that.

Consider the following scenarios. Some may sound familiar while others don’t. However, if you do find any connection to the questions and situations I’m about to pose, then it may be time for your business to undergo a rebrand:

1. Did You Start Without a Niche?

Web designers work in a very congested and competitive space, especially as a younger generation of designers raised on computers and apps enter the workforce. That’s why you may find that working without a specialty doesn’t work so well for you.

For starters, a jack-of-all-trades doesn’t look all that different from other web designers that also claim to do it all. Secondly, it’s very hard for you to work efficiently if you’re taking on a coaching website today, a SaaS website next week, and a monstrous ecommerce site a month from now.

There’s something to be said for the kind of efficiency and quality output that comes from having a more narrow focus.

If your business name or website convey this “I’ll work with anyone!” mentality, it might be time for a change.

2. Did You Pick the Wrong Niche?

Let’s say that you did start your business targeting a specific niche or geographic area. If you’re finding success in this space hard to come by, it may be because you picked the wrong niche.

For example:

I have a client whose design agency was originally supposed to target companies in a specific segment of the medical industry. However, a month ago, he told me he wanted to shift the focus to a specific segment of the tech space instead.

He was right to make the switch. While he may have been passionate about the medical niche, the quality of client would’ve been bad for business. So, he carved out a new niche that he knew he’d be comfortable designing websites for and with clients he’d be able to build great relationships with.

If you’re kicking yourself for picking a niche that doesn’t feel right or isn’t profitable, it’s never too late to change.

3. Does Your Business Need to Look Bigger?

When many of us start out, we’re a one-man (or woman) show. It’s great in many respects since we get total control over the business and all decisions related to it. However, there may come a time when the kind of clients you want to work with expect you to have a team of professionals behind you.

Now, whether or not you actually hire anyone to help you build websites, write copy, or manage projects is up to you. However, if you’re selling a premium web design service to clients, your branding and messaging should convey that.

The rebrand could be a simple name change, to be honest. So, rather than market your business using your own name, you’d give it a formal agency name. Or you could switch from branding yourself as a local design company to a global one.

If you feel that giving your business the appearance of size would help you get more clients and, more importantly, ones willing to pay premium prices, a rebrand will help.

4. Have You Changed Your Services?

It’s not just a switch from basic to premium services that may necessitate a change in your branding and marketing. Switching the types of services offered could do it, too.

I have another client who came to me with a similar problem. Her story goes like this:

She launched her company back in the 1970s as a software solution provider for printers. As you can imagine, that type of business has needed to evolve greatly over the years. However, what hasn’t changed much is the name of the company or the design of their branding and messaging. Because of this, it’s been difficult to sell web design and maintenance services to clients.

To reduce confusion, they’re moving to a shortened version of the company name, changing the logo to match, and are now about to undergo a full redesign and rewrite of their website. It’s the only logical solution if they want to reach a modern audience with modern needs.

If you’ve made a major switch in the kinds of services you provide and you feel as though your branding no longer represents what you do very well, then it’s time to change that.

Does Your Web Design Business Need a Rebrand?

What’s nice about this exercise is that it gives you an excuse to stop and think about what your business currently is, who it serves, and where you want to go with it. That’s not always something you think to prioritize as a web designer since you’re so busy doing it for everyone else.

However, this is a great exercise to do once a year to make sure your business is on track to do what you want it to do. And, if not, to adjust your branding and design so that you can get on the right track before it’s too late.

In the design world, a business card acts as a mini creative resume. Your business card should leave people with a powerful impression of your identity as a design professional, the best business cards are a brilliant marketing tool that help showcase your unique style and help you stand out.

A standard business card based on one of the business card templates is a wasted opportunity to reflect a piece of your personality, and will leave you instantly forgettable to potential new clients.

If all this talk of new clients has reminded you that your portfolio is looking a little tired, don't fret as we've rounded up the best portfolio examples as inspiration for a refresh.

01. Iris Compiet

Artist and illustrator Iris Compiet has made something truly special for her business card design. Inside the simple envelope lies an intricate concertina booklet depicting examples of her vibrant illustrations. To literally give out a portfolio as a business card is a fantastic bit of PR and shows real attention to detail.

02. Lush

For the best results, spread seeds then add lush. Genius

This brilliant business card design by Struck Creative cleverly doubles as a seed pouch for lawn and property management company Lush. Not only does it provide all the relevant information in a clear and concise way, it hold precious cargo, meaning it's much less likely to be discarded.

03. Gong Kantapon

Kantapon covered a poster of a woman in mini cards that passers-by could peel off

New York City-based illustrator Gong Kantapon went all out when it came to getting his business card noticed. Kantapon covered a poster of a woman in mini cards, that passers-by could peel off and take away. It got everyone's full attention by leaving people wondering just what would be revealed when the cards were removed.

04. Lego business card

These Lego minifig business cards are customised to match their owner

Not only do the guys who work at Lego have a super-cool job, they also get these awesome Lego minifigure business cards. It's been reported that the company does its best to match each employee's features, even down to their hair and accessories. The individual's name, email and contact number are then printed on the figure's clothes. Best business card ever!

We love this business card, which doubles as a tiny cheese grater, for Brazilian cheese store Bon Vivant. Created by ad agency JWT, the clever networking tool had proved extremely popular, with the owner having to tell customers to wait a few days before returning to take another. The awesome design also comes complete with a protective sleeve. All in all, a simply grate idea! (See what we did there? OK, we'll get our coats…)

06. Cotton business cards

These business cards have a hidden secret

These business cards from MOO may not look anything out of the ordinary, but they’re in fact made entirely out of offcuts from cotton T-shirts (the fabric left over once the pattern has been cut out). The company worked with Mohawk Fine Papers to reinvent one of the oldest methods of paper-making.

The T-shirt offcuts are collected, turned into a pulp then dried and pressed into strong, flexible, naturally bright white paper, ready to be turned into premium business cards. Watch the video to see how it’s done.

07. Engraved

John T. Kim created this design by laser cutting and etching basswood

The clue is in the title of these 'Engraved' unique business cards by New York-based designer John T. Kim. Created by laser cutting and etching basswood, the woodgrain pattern makes every card truly unique. Engraved started life as a kickstarted project with a funding goal of $1,500. It ran for 30 days, and during that time garnered enough attention to raise nearly $24,000.

08. MODHair

This cool musical comb business card plays a rock theme

When its owner runs their fingernail along the teeth of this musical comb, it plays a classic rock theme. The innovative concept was developed by Amsterdam-based designer Fabio Milito for MODhair, a rock'n'roll hair salon in Rome. A brilliant way to encapsulate the brand's identity in a single card.

09. Bentply

This ingenious business card can be folded into a miniature armchair

What you see here is a neat letterpress business card and mailer for furniture shop Bentply in London that can be made into a mini plywood chair. The ingenious card was created by designer Richard C Evans and produced by Elegante Press in Lithuania. Just follow the instructions and the kiss-cut card can be folded into a miniature of the iconic 1934 plywood armchair designed by Gerald Summers.

10. Greek

A brilliant design by Draft FCB for Greek restaurant

OK, so these probably aren't the most practical business cards in the world, but the idea is pretty cool. Developed by Cape Town-based creative agency FCB, these creative cards were crafted for a Greek restaurant, and play on the traditional Greek custom of smashing plates. Made from broken pieces of pottery, the unique design is decorated simply with the restaurant's name and telephone number.

11. Yuka Suzuki

Hair and make-up artist Yuka Suzuki sells her creative skills with these brilliant business cards

The hair and make-up industry is a competitive one, so Yuka Suzuki decided to develop a business card that would make her stand out from the crowd. The clever design uses different coloured hair grips to create colourful hair styles, and the owner gets some free hair accessories to boot. Cool huh?

12. Choko La

Clients get two treats with this design; a delicious chocolate and a brilliantly creative business card

This candy wrapper business card is, unsurprisingly, a popular design. Another entry by ad agency FCB, this time to promote a range of delicious chocolates. This design incorporates two treats; a chocolate and a brilliantly creative business card. Genius.

13. Techkeys

This business card design certainly ticks the ‘innovative’ box

We've come across what might be the world's geekiest offering; it's a business card that also doubles up as a computer keyboard, created by Techkeys. "This PCB with on-board re-programmable ATMEGA16U2 allows for full flexibility for hackers, tinkerers, and makers," says the company. "Take home one of these as a project, keycap display, switch tester, or a shortcut to yours truly, TechKeys.us."

14. Martyna Wędzicka

A personal and handmade approach makes these business cards unique

Polish designer Martyna Wędzicka has created these gorgeous business cards to highlight her hands-on approach to projects and design in general. The clear canvas allows Wędzicka to add a personal touch with some brilliant doodle art.

15. Elfriede-Lilly Friedeberg

The letterpress business cards capture Friedeberg’s aesthetic

Elfriede-Lilly Friedeberg is a Berlin-based illustrator and graphic design student who creates inspiring, colourful and cute characters and patterns that are guaranteed to raise a smile. Packed full of pastel tones and handmade style, these brilliant business cards sum Friedeberg up perfectly.

16. Cerovski

London-based agency Bunch was responsible for the business cards

These business cards were created for Cerovski – a Croatian print production studio that revels in the challenge of “nebulous finishing, microscopic editions, absurd materials and crazy deadlines”. London design agency Bunch was responsible for developing its entire brand – which included a custom logotype and typeface – but it's the business cards that we've fallen in love with.

17. Doctor Zamenhof

These business card designs will make you drop your jaw in awe

Spain-based design studio Doctor Zamenhof aims to 'diagnose' design problems and prescribe remedies and solutions. Continuing this medical theme, the team has designed this rather brilliant set of business cards that mimic tongue depressors. The stick shape features all of the design studio's contact information and will certainly stand out from other business card offerings.

18. Vitor Bonates

Vitor Bonates combines work and play with these creative business cards

How cool is this personal buisness card for designer Vitor Bonates? A self-confessed lover of music and vinyl, Bonates based his card on classic vinyl records, replacing track name and details with his own and finishing off the design with a sleeve that holds the replica record. A simple but brilliant idea.

19. BDH Millwork

Leftover wood from BDH Millwork provides the material for its innovative business card

Canadian advertising studio WAX are the team behind these sophisticated buisness cards for cabinet-maker Brad Haniak of BDH Millwork. On a tiny budget, the WAX team came up with the idea of rubber-stamping Haniak's business card information onto pieces of leftover wood, available in abundance at his carpentry workshop.

20. Powell Peralta

We love the design and attention to detail in these skateboard business cards

We're a little in love with these miniature skateboard business cards for American skateboard company Powell-Peralta. The design follows true skateboard style, made of thin wood and featuring grip tape on one side surrounding a skull design. Created by the talented bunch over at Jukebox, all it needs now is a set of wheels!

21. Ritornell

This is one of the coolest business cards we've come across to date. As an integral part of its set list, Austrian duo Ritornell invites the audience to bring along their private music boxes. Katharina Hölzl designed the very special business cards, with the aid of laser-assisted milling. They feature nine micro compositions consisting of circles, triangles and Ritornell's contact information applied to a long music box paper stripe.

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It’s practically impossible to imagine any dashboard without graphs and charts. They present complex statistics quickly and effectively. Additionally, a good graph also enhances the overall design of your website.

In this article, I’ll show you some of the best JavaScript libraries for graphs / charts. These libraries will help you create beautiful and customisable charts for your future projects.

While most of the libraries are free and open source, some of them provide a paid version with additional features.

D3.js — Data-Driven Documents

When we think of charting today, D3.js is the first name that comes up. Being an open source project, D3.js definitely brings many powerful features that were missing in most of the existing libraries. Features like “Enter and Exit”, powerful transitions and syntax familiarity with jQuery or Prototype make it one the best JavaScript libraries for charting. Charts in D3.js are rendered via HTML, SVG and CSS.

Unlike many other JavaScript libraries, D3.js doesn’t ship with any pre-built charts out of the box. However, you can look at the list of graphs built with D3.js to get an overview.

D3.js doesn’t work well with older browsers like IE8. You can always use plugins like aight plugin for cross browser compatibility.

Websites like NYTimes, Uber and Weather.com have used D3.js extensively in the past.

Google charts also comes with various customization options that help in changing the look of the graph. Charts are rendered using HTML5/SVG to provide cross-browser compatibility and cross platform portability to iPhones, iPads, and Android. It also includes VML for supporting older IE versions.

Here’s a great list of examples built using Google charts.

ChartJS

ChartJS provides beautiful flat designs for charts. It uses HTML5 canvas element for rendering. Support for older browsers like IE7/8 is added through polyfill.

ChartJS charts are responsive by default. They work well in mobiles and tablets. With 6 different types of core charts out of the box (core, bar, doughnut, radar, line, and polar area), ChartJS is definitely one of the most impressive open source charting libraries in recent times.

Chartist.js

Chartist.js provides beautiful responsive charts. Just like ChartJS, Chartist.js is also the product of the community that was frustrated by using highly priced JavaScript charting libraries. It uses SVG to render the charts. It can be controlled and customised through CSS3 media queries and Sass. Also, note that Chartist.js provides cool animations that will work only in modern browsers.

n3-charts

If you are an Angular developer, you will definitely find n3-charts extremely useful and interesting. n3-charts is built on top of D3.js and Angular. It provides various standard charts in the form of customisable Angular directives.

Checkout list of charts built using ns-charts.

Ember Charts

Ember Charts is another great open source repository built with D3.js and Ember.js. It provides time series, bar, pie, and scatter charts that are easily customisable. It uses SVG to render charts.

The post 18+ JavaScript Libraries for Creating Beautiful Charts appeared first on SitePoint.

An effective way to keep a competitive edge is to maintain an awareness of the best tools and resources. You need to know where you might be able to use them to your advantage.

There's a problem with that approach. It's that you'll find yourself having to sort among an embarrassment of riches. Not all tools and resources can qualify as being top-of-the-line of course. To find the best of the best can involve quite a bit of searching.

We've pulled together a nice little collection of top site, tools, apps, and resources. All of them are designed to make your work easier, and keep you up with the times. They can help you maintain that competitive edge.

Starting with:

The post Web Design Agencies: Are You Using These Life-saving Tools & Resources? appeared first on SitePoint.

We’re working hard to keep you on the cutting edge of your field with SitePoint Premium. We’ve got plenty of new books to check out in the library — let us introduce you to them.

Professional Clojure

Designed for professional devs, this book explains how to parse the difference between functional and object-oriented programming, how to understand Clojure performance and capabilities, how to develop reactive web pages using ClojureScript, and how to adopt an REPL-driven development workflow.

Read Professional Clojure.

A Beginner’s Guide to npm, the Node Package Manager

Learn how to use npm, the command-line tool for interacting with a huge repository of Node.js projects. Discover how to install packages in local and global mode, as well as delete, update and install a certain version of a package. You’ll also see how how to manage a project’s dependencies.

In this guide, we’ll introduce Gulp.js. We’ll start out by installing Gulp and using it to carry out some basic tasks, such as compressing images, and then move on to using it for more advanced tasks, like populating a database.

Read An Introduction to Gulp.js.

Handbook of Usability Testing

This book digs into how to make products user-friendly, with guidelines on testing, factors that limit usability, choosing and training test moderators, collecting and reviewing data, reporting results and making recommendations, user-centered design principles and practices, and much more.

Read Handbook of Usability Testing.

And More to Come…

We’re releasing new content on SitePoint Premium almost every day, so we’ll be back next week with the latest updates. And don’t forget: if you haven’t checked out our offering yet, take our 7 day free trial for a spin.

The post SitePoint Premium New Releases: Clojure, npm, Gulp, Django & More appeared first on SitePoint.

The help of social media channels can play an important role in getting your message out. That’s well and good, but rarely good enough.

There is only one way you’re going to be able to truly represent yourself. It is with the help of a website. A website that sets you and/or your company apart from the crowd.

Unlike a page on a social media network, you have total control over the content on a website. You can do a lot more in terms of providing valuable information. You can offer products for sale, and integrate third-party services.

Are you a genius at coding and you have all the time in the world to devote to it? Or, do you plan to pay a developer? If not, you need a top-tier website or page builder to make your awesome presence known.

Like one of these:

1. Elementor

Elementor is the most advanced WordPress page builder designed for businesses looking to improve their workflow and speed up their production time. Its quick and powerful drag & drop editor lets you create professional WordPress sites and landing pages without having to code. Elementor works perfectly with any theme and plugin and will not slow down your site like many page builders. It comes packed with different super useful widgets which you use to quickly build the layout of your site: images, text, sliders, icons, testimonials, social media and more.

You can either build your website from scratch using these widgets, or use one of the hundreds of pre-designed Elementor templates which can be easily inserted to any page.

The Visual Composer Website Builder makes building pages and websites about as easy as it gets. This popular, user-friendly, frontend drag and drop website builder makes it possible for you to design the layouts you’ve always wanted to; layouts that are guaranteed to sell more.

You’ll have access to a huge number of templates, content elements, and blocks for landing pages, portfolios, products, and more. Unlike most website builders, these website design features don’t come with the package. They exist in the Visual Composer Hub, a cloud-based marketplace of free goodies you can pick and choose from as you build your website.

Choose a page layout, put the new header builder to work, and customize headers, footers, and page content to your heart’s desire; without coding.

3. Webflow

Webflow is more than a website builder; it’s a platform on which you can design, build, and launch a totally responsive and customized website, all without coding. Webflow even creates a custom client-friendly CMS for each site you build.

Webflow is ideal for small business websites and other small to medium-sized projects including content-driven projects that your clients can edit for themselves. You get to choose who can edit what, while at the same time limiting the type of editing that can be done by a client, so you won’t end up with a broken page.

Webflow also provides managed hosting. Plus you can use it for your prototyping needs; especially if you have a need to produce dynamic, interactive prototypes and prototypes for mobile apps.

You can start a project from a blank canvas, a free or premium template, or a UI kit.

4. Mobirise

If an offline website builder is your preference, Mobirise is your solution. This offline app is feature rich, and it’s free. It’s great for small to medium websites, portfolio sites, landing pages, and everything and anything in between.

Mobirise is also ideal for non-techies or anyone who prefers to avoid code and work as visually as possible. Pro-coders can use Mobirise as well for small customer projects and prototyping.

5. SP Page Builder

SP Page Builder is a Joomla drag and drop page builder; and #1 in its class. It comes with pre-made blocks, 50+ addons, a nice selection of ready-to-use layouts and third-party integrations. It also offers the fastest and most convenient web development experience you’ll likely find anywhere.

Every design element you’re likely to need is ready to drag and drop into your site. A little tweaking here and there, and you’re ready to rock!

6. Pixpa – Portfolio Websites

Online store, gallery, blog, portfolio – you name it and Pixpa will deliver for you. This all-in-one website-building platform is an especially good choice for creatives. Start your project with any of Pixpa’s attractive and mobile-friendly templates.

You can customize it to your heart’s content, no coding is necessary, and Pixpa even provides functionality that allows you to make online sales, take orders, and collect payments.

You can create a website using 8b whether you’re at work, at home, or on the go; plus, you have 16 cool starter templates and a host of website sections to get off to a fast start.

8. uKit

This website builder for small businesses is grid-based, mobile-friendly, and user friendly as well. uKit’s features and functionality give you the power to get your online presence up and running in a matter of minutes.

uKit was created with a non-techie approach in mind. Pick an element and drag and drop it to where you want it. It’s as simple as that; just the way a top-rated website builder should be.

9. uLanding

uLanding is a fresh, code-free website-building solution that empowers anyone using it to build a professional digital presence for their business to boost sales. It can be anything from a landing page to a targeted promotion campaign.

Analyze the effectiveness of your ad campaigns using built-in analytics and launch A/B tests. Try uLanding out now by taking advantage of the free trial!

Get Your Project off the Ground

There is a beauty in this selection of top website/page builders. It is that you should have little problem finding the one that’s best for you.

Or, you could pick one at random; and the chances are good that it would still do the job you want done and do it well.

Take a little time to determine which of these products would be the best match for you. From there, you can build a stunning website in short order.

The bright, fan-like Pantone colour swatches are a familiar part of a designer's toolkit. However you probably won't want to use these lookalikes to choose a colour scheme. That's because this pair of Pantone-inspired colour guides are all about, and there's no way around saying this so apologies if you're about to have your lunch, poo.

Released by Penguin, these two secretion swatches were designed by Anomaly creative director Matt Roach and illustrated by Douggy Pledger to help familiarise readers with their waste matter. Specifically, one tells parents all they need to know about their baby's nappy fillings, while the other one is an informative guide to help adults understand their excreta.

As well as being humorous, the two guides have been medically approved by a gastroenterologist and a paediatrician. So if you've ever been baffled by what you've left in the toilet bowl, think of these swatches as the Rosetta Stone of your stools.

How to master colour theory

Poo can’t be blue… can it?

Answering all the burning questions that have probably puzzled you at some point or another, these swatches explain why floaters float, why stinkers stink, and the secrets to doing a poo like a pro.

Parents will also find heaps of helpful insight as to whether or not it's normal for their baby's poo to look like Dijon mustard, what they should do if the nappy looks like an oil spill's hit it, and why their newborn's doing dumps at all hours of the day.

Is that a BONE in one of those swatches?

All in all, a whopping 35 different types of poo are covered in these swatches. Perfect for parents and adults with a sense of humour, these guides can be traced back to 2015 when Roach created a POOTONE guide as a gift for Anomaly art director David Lawrie when his first child was born.

This baby swatch guide proved so useful that Roach decided to run it by publishers. The adult poo guide came out in the summer of 2018, while March 2019 saw the release of the new baby poo guide.

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